The dying Pacific

Just because you don't pay attention it doesn't mean problems go away!!

My feeling is that you can look to ocean acidification and Fukushima in roughly equal measure

"Alarm as record numbers of seals & sea lions starve to death along California coast, and more. Plus, a bonanza of well-meaning but absolutely clueless scientists who, over the past three years, have had no less than a jillion apples fall on their heads, and who still haven't thought it might be due to gravity. A rose is a rose is a rose unless you're a scientist, in which case, you might be thinking it's a walrus."

---Michael Green

Alarm as record numbers of seals & sea lions ‘starving to death’ along California coast

— “It’s just spiked… calls started coming nonstop”

— “So many unhealthy… washing ashore”

— “Extremely complex issue… multitude of factors in play”

— “Definitely a mystery, we’re hoping it’s not the new norm”

ENENews,
3 May, 2014

San Francisco Chronicle, May 3, 2014: Young seals, sea lions starving in record numbers — Rescuers are scrambling to save a record number of young sea lions and seals along California’s northern and central coast while scientists work to understand why the animals are beaching themselves [...] The emaciated and dehydrated pups are turning up along the 600 miles of coastline from Mendocino to San Luis Obispo monitored by the Marine Mammal Center. Many are too weak to move after washing ashore [...] As of Wednesday, the center had brought in 429 California sea lions, elephant seals, harbor seals and fur seals this year. That’s well above the 291 animals admitted by the same date last year [...] Southern California witnessed an almost 70 percent die-off of young sea lions – those born in summer 2012 – near the Channel Islands, where most American sea lions breed.

Sharon Melin, NOAA biologist: “In 2013, it was only the young animals that tried to do it on their own [...] this year there’s lots of stranding going on, but those are a different age-class of pups.”

Dr. Shawn Johnson, Marine Mammal Center: “The ones we are seeing are basically starving to death [...] It’s definitely a mystery. We’re hoping it’s not the new norm.”

Coastline Pilot, May 1, 2014: “In the last month we’ve seen the rescues spike,” [Pacific Marine Mammal Center's Keith Matassa] said. [...] Researchers are still trying to determine why so many unhealthy sea lions are washing ashore. “The reasons behind the animal strandings are an extremely complex issue,” Matassa said. “Although there is a leading theory that their food source is playing a significant role, there are a multitude of factors that come in to play.”

“Starving to death”? 

From last week: SF Chronicle: "Unbelievable hordes" of fish near California coast; Most birds, sea lions, dolphins, whales anywhere -- Expert: 'Off the charts' pelican population "highly unusual... could reflect breeding failures elsewhere"; "Abnormal ocean conditions" to blame?

Gov’t Investigator: Acute hemorrhaging found in dead owls along west coast

• Mortality event began 8 months after Fukushima explosions
• “In very poor condition… badly emaciated” when arriving in Pacific Northwest from Arctic

ENENews,
3 May, 2014


Campbell River Mirror, Feb. 18, 2014: Guest Speakers in the morning include Dr. Victoria Bowes, avian pathologist, with BC Min. of Agriculture, who will present “The Overwintering Snowy Owl Mortality Investigation”

Dr. Victoria Bowes, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, June 2013: In the winter of 2011, and again in 2012, an unexpected record number of overwintering Snowy Owls arrived along the southern coast of BC [...] from the high Arctic already in poor body condition, and over a short period of time many of the weakened birds were admitted to local wildlife rehabilitators. Others [...] were found dead or dying. [...] The unanswered question was whether or not there were underlying predisposing factors that made these birds more vulnerable. In January 2013, and again in April, a team of investigators assembled [...] to examine a total of 49 Snowy Owl carcasses [...] the majority of birds in both necropsy sessions were emaciated adult or sub-adult males. An associated finding was carcass pallor accompanied by acute gastric and intestinal hemorrhage [...] terminal intestinal hemorrhage has been recognized as a manifestation of severe physiologic stress [...]

South China Morning Post, Jan. 20, 2013: [...] snowy owls arrive in Vancouver [...] worrying bird welfare experts [...] The owls perch listlessly [...] the second winter in a row that Vancouver has been treated to a visit [...] raising concern among experts who say the owls should normally only visit Vancouver every five or so years [...] some of the birds are badly emaciated.

Rob Hope, Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society: Some were suffering from asperogillosis, a breathing problem [...] that can be triggered by a weakened immune system or malnutrition. [Owls arrived in] November, earlier than they would normally venture so far south [...] “We have been finding a lot in very poor condition by the time they arrive. They are already in a weakened state.”

Orange County Register, May 2, 2014: Sea lions are [...] washing ashore, many of them pups dehydrated, malnourished and on the brink of death. The year started off quieter than last year, and the Pacific Marine Mammal Center’s director of development, Melissa Sciacca, thought they were in the clear – until about a month ago, when the calls started coming in nonstop. [...] “We thought it was going to be a nice calm year; in the last month it’s just spiked,” she said. “The rescues just keep coming in at a steady pace.” It’s the second year stranded sea lions have been reported in alarming numbers. [...] Last year, scientists tested for radioactivity, and it was determined that wasn’t the cause, and infectious disease was also ruled out.

‘Marine Mystery’ in California: “Toxic outbreak threatening marine life”

• Birds falling from sky, sea lions convulsing — “Worst they’ve ever seen”
• Toxin hits record level, almost 1,000% above gov’t limit
• Heart lesions, severe shrinking in part of brain, nervous system failure 

ENENews,
3 May, 2014



Santa Cruz Sentinel, May 2, 2014: State health warnings over shellfish, anchovies and sardines are highlighting a marine mystery [...] what’s behind a toxic outbreak threatening marine life? [...] Researchers in the relatively new area of study say the problem is the worst they have ever seen. [Though the] toxin likely has always been part of the ecosystem, the threat appears to be growing. [...] results of late are the highest ever [...] sea lions affected by domoic acid show a severely shrunken hippocampus [and] lesions on the hearts and brains [...] the mystery behind why and when it happens remains largely unsolved [...]

Tenaya Norris, Marine Mammal Center: “We don’t know why these algae produce these toxins [...] They can be in the water and not producing this toxin, and they can be out in the water and raging.”

Raphael Kudela, UCSC marine ecologist: ”There is some evidence that there are more events of larger magnitude [...] it really affects sea otters.”

Rebecca Dmytryk, Wildlife Emergency Services: “We’ve literally had them drop from the sky.”

KION, Apr. 28, 2014: Sea lions found sick and convulsing off Monterey Bay coast [...] now researchers say there may be some indication that humans may also be causing domoic acid to be produced in higher concentrations [...] At least 35 sick sea lions were found stranded on the Monterey Bay. They were convulsing with seizure-like symptoms. [...]

KION, Apr. 14, 2014: [The state] began seeing low levels of demoic acid in the fish in mid-March and 2 days ago noticed it increased to almost 10 times higher than federal regulations.

KSBW, Apr. 30, 2014: Toxic algae blooms killing sea birds, threaten humans — A new health warning has been issued urging people to not eat certain parts of anchovy, sardines, or crab caught in the Monterey Bay. [It's causing seabirds'] nervous systems to fail. [...] the state public health department issued a warning not to eat recreationally harvested shellfish [...] from the Monterey Bay. On Monday, officials issued an update advising consumers not to eat the internal organs of commercially or recreationally caught anchovy, sardines or crab [...] Typically the toxic algae blooms only last a week or two but the latest one has lasted all month [...]

Watch the KSBW broadcast here

Recent articles that relate to California and Monterey Bay

01:17 PM EST on May 3rd, 2014 | 131 comments

‘Marine Mystery’ in California: “Toxic outbreak threatening marine life” — Birds falling from sky, sea lions convulsing — “Worst they’ve ever seen” — Toxin hits record level, almost 1,000% above gov’t limit — Heart lesions, severe shrinking in part of brain, nervous system failure (VIDEO)

09:34 AM EST on May 1st, 2014 | 77 comments

SF Chronicle: “Unbelievable hordes” of fish near California coast; Most birds, sea lions, dolphins, whales anywhere — Expert: ‘Off the charts’ pelican population “highly unusual… could reflect breeding failures elsewhere”; “Abnormal ocean conditions” to blame?

11:10 PM EST on April 18th, 2014 | 137 comments

NBC: Record level of sick or injured California seals and sea lions turning up — “The numbers are extraordinary” — “Scientists worried… The worst kind of perfect storm” — Pups should be weighing 2 or 3 times as much, “severely malnourished” (VIDEO)

09:51 AM EST on February 1st, 2014 | 172 comments

CBS San Francisco: “Widespread distrust” of scientists over Fukushima — Official: “People are worried, people want to know what’s going on” — UC Berkeley professor admits much of his funding is from gov’t: If you don’t trust us, who is it you want to trust? Says man-made cesium-137 is “natural background radiation” (VIDEO)

01:05 AM EST on January 25th, 2014 | 77 comments

TV: At height of Fukushima emergency, region in California where plume hit had NO monitors — Email shows EPA ‘decided’ not to deploy RADNET to area — Only one left broke as radioactivity began spiking — “No clue” about exposure levels (MAP)

08:16 PM EST on January 14th, 2014 | 163 comments

“They’re All Gone”: Shock as sardines vanish off California — Fishermen didn’t find a single one all summer — Scientist: This is about the entire Pacific coast… Canada, Mexico, U.S. — NOAA: We don’t know why; The young aren’t surviving

01:27 PM EST on January 11th, 2014 | 322 comments

California Official: Information on risk from Fukushima needs to be made public — State in contact with NRC — CBS: ‘Health Scare Over Possible Fukushima Radiation In Pacific-Caught Fish’ — Surfer: I’d never go surfing right now (VIDEO)

11:38 PM EST on January 5th, 2014 | 302 comments

L.A. Times: Alarming West Coast sardine crash likely radiating through ecosystem — Experts warn marine mammals and seabirds are starving, may suffer for years to come — Boats return without a single fish — Monterey Bay: Hard to resist idea that humpback whales are trying to tell us something

05:12 PM EST on December 30th, 2013 | 118 comments

Lead Researcher: Fukushima pollution may be causing sea star epidemic on West Coast — Sea urchins, sea cucumbers also affected — “Something’s making them susceptible”… “It’s unlike anything we’ve seen”… “Populations go locally extinct overnight”

04:02 PM EST on December 22nd, 2013 | 70 comments

Experts: “Really an off year” — Pelicans starving in Pacific Northwest since 2011, killing baby birds for food — Breeding success “really poor” since 2011 — “I believe pelicans are responding to large scale changes” — “Sardine crash” persists in Pacific since decline in 2011

08:59 PM EST on December 12th, 2013 | 87 comments

Marine Biologist: All the sea stars along west coast of North America could be wiped out — Some developing ‘bald spots’; “Others look completely healthy except for guts coming out” — ‘Speculation’ it could be related to Fukushima

09:26 AM EST on December 12th, 2013 | 107 comments

CNN: The Pacific has seen its fair share of weird recently — Bay in California “now a massive soup bowl” — “Miles of anchovies, mountains deep” — It’s like none ever recorded… Old timers have never seen anything like this — “We may be experiencing ‘global weirding’” (VIDEO)

06:44 PM EST on December 11th, 2013 | 148 comments

Study: Type of dead sea creature covered 98% of ocean floor last year about 150 miles off California coast; Unprecedented, was below 1% prior to event — ‘Major’ changes began in spring 2011

12:46 PM EST on December 9th, 2013 | 76 comments

SF Chronicle: Fukushima radiation possible culprit in huge starfish die off from Mexico to Alaska — Potential catastrophe, it’s extremely virulent “going on up and down coast… It’s going to change what’s out there pretty fundamentally”

04:22 PM EST on November 30th, 2013 | 217 comments

CBS News: 100s of whales in bay on California coast; It’s never been like this, we just can’t even believe it — Experts: We just aren’t sure what’s going on; “A once-in-a-lifetime chance… unheard of, it’s unbelievable, nobody’s seen this” (VIDEO)

11:19 PM EST on November 29th, 2013 | 125 comments

Scientist: Leading edge of Fukushima plume is now showing up on West Coast — Fish Market Owner: My customers have a lot of concerns about the nuclear contamination, they’re very smart and educated… I didn’t expect this much concern (AUDIO)

09:08 AM EST on November 25th, 2013 | 106 comments

NYTimes: Unprecedented concentration of sea creatures near shore in California; Experts baffled, longtime residents astounded — Biologist: “It’s a very strange year… The $64,000 question is why?” — Similar to ‘extraordinary’ events seen recently along Canada’s Pacific coast? (VIDEO)

04:05 PM EST on November 17th, 2013 | 150 comments

CBS News: ‘Immense mystery’ as sea stars being wiped out along West Coast, could be gone for generations — Bewildering disease is spreading and “no idea what’s causing it, or how to stop it” — Timelapse shows all legs lost in 7 hours (VIDEOS)

03:13 PM EST on November 2nd, 2013 | 84 comments

NBC News: “Grisly disease decimating starfish populations… from Orange County to Alaska” — Scientists: Alarm as they began eating each other, then melting away — Similar problem on East Coast observed since 2011 — Now spreading at “scary” rate (VIDEO)

10:54 PM EST on April 16th, 2013 | 31 comments

Sabotage: High-powered rifle used in attack on California power substation — Same perpetrators blamed for cutting AT&T fiberoptic cables — Objective was “shutting down the system” — FBI now leading investigation (VIDEO)